Still mulling over a handheld. I figured since they all had a WB receiver, I might as well see how the specs stacked up.
I wouldn't expect them to hear much of any HF with the stock antenna, but I'd hope that an external would do good. I would like to listed to the AM broadcast band with the stock antenna though. Looks like Icom has it here. I don't know what to expect above HF for AM/SSB receive. Although, the Kenwood's ability to receive SSB almost makes this a no brainer.
With the exception of the 1.25-meter band, the Icom sweeps the field. Of course, you would expect the Kenwood to outperform here since it features full 220 capabilities relative to the others in the lineup. In reality, performance on 2-meter/70-centimeter is going to be too close to call, so the rest of the WB receiver capability is considered, and that is a tuff call.
The Kenwood seems to have the edge with versatility, covering both SSB and NFM, plus it covers the 23-centimeter band. Seems like lots of options here. The gaping holes in it's specs is dissapointing, however.
The Icom looks to be a good solid performer, notching in a few of the Ham bands and covering the full wide band with relatively flat performance. The draw is a bit hard to resist.
The Yaesu? Almost looks more like a tri-band receiver and a WB display, to me. But to be fair, I have not seen the published manual yet.
I wouldn't expect them to hear much of any HF with the stock antenna, but I'd hope that an external would do good. I would like to listed to the AM broadcast band with the stock antenna though. Looks like Icom has it here. I don't know what to expect above HF for AM/SSB receive. Although, the Kenwood's ability to receive SSB almost makes this a no brainer.
With the exception of the 1.25-meter band, the Icom sweeps the field. Of course, you would expect the Kenwood to outperform here since it features full 220 capabilities relative to the others in the lineup. In reality, performance on 2-meter/70-centimeter is going to be too close to call, so the rest of the WB receiver capability is considered, and that is a tuff call.
The Kenwood seems to have the edge with versatility, covering both SSB and NFM, plus it covers the 23-centimeter band. Seems like lots of options here. The gaping holes in it's specs is dissapointing, however.
The Icom looks to be a good solid performer, notching in a few of the Ham bands and covering the full wide band with relatively flat performance. The draw is a bit hard to resist.
The Yaesu? Almost looks more like a tri-band receiver and a WB display, to me. But to be fair, I have not seen the published manual yet.
